Renewing My French Temporary Identity Card

When we talk about the system of the country, every country has the different method, system, ways for servicing the foreigner who lives in their country. And it’s normal as there is always have a good and a bad side for this. So my aim to write this is just for sharing and my shout out.

5 October 2017, that’s my second time to renew my temporary identity since I moved in a suburb of Paris. honestly, I felt so lazy to come back to the immigration office just for renewing my card identity. It has been 6 months since I submitted my document for demanding the renewal

Like I said it’s my second time my 3 months temporary card needs to be renewed as tomorrow 6 October it will expire. This time I came alone as my hubby takes his day off today and he could help me to take care K while I’m doing my renewal.

the office is open from 8.30 am and I came more early as 7.30 am I already arrive there. Suprise or not, there already many people waiting here, the waiting line is already long. Can you imagine what time they start to wait here??

of course, it should be from 6 am or maybe more early than it. And more it’s already autumn and as you know how cold in the morning is. But just for the identity everyone wakes up early and come here to get the place.

The question is up, why you need to be there as early as you can? the answer is the number of persons to be handled is limited. So the system first comes first serve, that’s why many people start to wait for it.

here, there are 3 gates for different purposes, my gate for the renewal it’s not really long for the waiting, but there is another gate for demanding the new identity card or to submit your document for renewal the identity card.

The waiting list is sooooo a-maaa-ziinggg!! If you late a few second, I just said “good luck, buddy!!”. maybe some of you will have some questions about the system here, in France.

Honestly, personally, I give my comment if the system in here not really good organize at all. maybe some big city like Paris, Marseille or Lyon etc their system better than in other small cities here.

so they have 2 ways to do your identity card, by appointment and come directly. When you know these 2 ways, you will think automatically if “ah okay, by appointment will be quicker than come directly” but the reality is NO, it’s totally wrong, that rules not available in the place I am now.

With or without an appointment are SAME, the procedure is you always need to wait outside before the gate is officially open. And you will get the waiting number and you wait your turn.

So what’s the difference between with appointment and not? the different just when the gate open there are 2 lines to get the number and person with an appointment will get a priority for that, but for me, it does not help much as we still waiting for a long time there and they didn’t respect with the hour that had been set for the appointment.

so, I think by the appointment or not, it’s the SAME. And I always come around 30 mins till an hour before the appointment time. And for before you getting your real identity card, you will have the temporary one that valid for 3 months as the system said it will be finished around 3 months but in fact, NO, they could be late or a bit slow for processing it.

often I heard from my friend that foreigner like me when they did they renewal, and some of them are complaining about the system here, they did to waiting in the early morning or even in the night before just for having a place to submit their document and live legally here.

this morning, I saw in other gates (just next to my gate), I saw many people bring the folded cartoon box and they sat on it and a few had been felt asleep when tired to wait. Humphh, how’s hard this life I wish they will make it better in future.

Not often there always have a fight between the people who wait here just cause of PLACE, someone doesn’t want their place had been taken by other, so never leave your place without said to the person behind and in front of you before you leave for a toilet in an example.

By the way, this is not happening to all the places but most of it yes, LOL. so back to my day to get renewing my temporary Identity, the gate was open on time 8.30 am and everybody starts to enter the building to serve and not many people had been wrong place to wait, so short story, in a few minute I had my ticket number 3463 !! what??!! a bit surprised but I try to be positive.

so I spend my waiting time with making the draft of my blog and waiting until my number had been called, I just changing my old temporary card with the new temporary card and they said me if my card will be finished soon and I will get 2 years validity of the ID card, (it’s a good news for me as before I just apply for 1 year) all are need for 5 minutes but I was waiting almost 6 hours for my number been called.

So that’s my story for today, I’m a bit lucky as I could write this while waiting that such helping me to not feel any annoying while waiting, and here is brrrrr, so cold!! 9 degrees for this morning but with the good sky, hopefully, it made my day not bad and I’ve got the positive thing is here that I could enjoy listening to my music, that’s so greaattt which I almost forget it.

LOL, oh 6 hours is kind of my lucky day as everyone could be more than 6 hours and some of them already done the line for many hours and ended with “sorry we don’t have any ticket and please come back again tomorrow” can you imagine that thing?? as I ever had that before, waiting with my toddler since the morning and once it’s my turn to get my ticket they said like that to me :(, that was so broke my heart 3